The Italian playwright and politician Gabriele d’Annunzio entered a Milan shop in 1922, intrigued by intricate sketches displayed in the window.
Inside, he discovered Mario Buccellati and a goldsmithing expertise rooted in the traditions of the Italian Renaissance. Their encounter sparked a lifelong friendship and patronage, ultimately shaping the fortunes of the young craftsman and helping to propel the name Buccellati into the world of the aristocrats and royalty of the time.
“The Prince of Goldsmiths, Rediscovering the Classics,” an exhibition that runs through June 18 on Giudecca, a Venetian island, traces the history of the Buccellati jewelry house founded in 1919 and pays special tribute to the men’s relationship.
“When we decided to present this exhibition, the title came almost spontaneously,” Gianluca Brozzetti, the executive vice president of Buccellati, wrote in an email. “The ‘Prince of Goldsmiths’ was how Gabriele d’Annunzio defined Mario Buccellati, attesting to his expertise in creating timeless masterpieces.”
Featuring a selection of 230 of the jewelry house’s most spectacular creations — 135 pieces of jewelry and 95 silver works — the show in Oficine 800, an exhibition space, is reached via a short vaporetto ride from Piazza San Marco in the heart of this northern Italian city.
